Bill Berkowitz

In a series of developments – some more publicized than others – the United States Agency for International Development, or USAID, has been undergoing a transformation that will more closely align its activities with the State Department and the Pentagon. These changes could threaten the agency’s original emphasis of concentrating on long-term social and economic … Continue reading “Remaking USAID for a Permanent War on Terror?”

On Veterans’ Day, Nov. 11, President Bush told troops gathered at Pennsylvania’s Tobyhanna Army Depot that, "It is deeply irresponsible to rewrite the history of how that war [in Iraq] began." He said that, "Some Democrats and antiwar critics are now claiming we manipulated the intelligence and misled the American people," even though they knew … Continue reading “The Politics of Pushback”

As chaos continues across much of Iraq, the governing authority is coming to yet another crossroads. Inside the Green Zone – the location of the U.S. Embassy and major Iraqi government offices – officials are struggling to forge an acceptable constitution by the August deadline. Outside the relative safety of that enclave, the insurgency continues … Continue reading “The Selling of Brand Kurdistan”

OAKLAND, California – A specter is again haunting U.S. colleges and universities. At the beginning of the Cold War in the early 1950s, Joseph McCarthy, the infamous Republican senator from Wisconsin, stalked the political landscape recklessly hurling charges that hordes of Communists had infiltrated the U.S. government before, during, and after World War II. Sen. … Continue reading “Neocons Bludgeon Professors With ‘Academic Freedom’”

In late April, the Washington-based Americans United for Separation of Church and State, a longtime religious watchdog group, called the nation’s attention to numerous incidents of religious bias and the official promotion of fundamentalist Christianity at the Colorado Springs, Colorado-based United States Air Force Academy – a problem that apparently has been brewing for quite … Continue reading “‘Heathens’ Not Welcome at Air Force Academy”

In mid-February, Israel’s parliament backed Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s plan to withdraw from the Gaza Strip and four West Bank settlements. While the vote in parliament has set off a few disruptive demonstrations by anti-disengagement settlers and their supporters, increased violent resistance may be coming down the pike. On March 15, Ha’aretz, an Israeli daily … Continue reading “Rehearsals for the Rapture”